The latest generation of field programmable gate array (FPGA) devices includes input/output (I/O) circuits that can be configured to transfer signals based on various different types of signal transmission protocols. Two of the most common signal transmission protocols that an I/O circuit is designed to transfer include a double data rate (DDR) signal protocol and a low voltage differential signal (LVDS) protocol.
However, with every new generation of process technology, transistor features and signal pathway dimensions have been pushed to become smaller. The smaller transistor features and the signal pathway dimensions inadvertently generate a high parasitic capacitance along signal pathways on an integrated circuit. Even the I/O circuit designs that can be configured to transfer DDR signals and LVDS signals are affected by a high pad capacitance. The I/O circuits in the latest generation of integrated circuit devices may have signal pathways with a pad capacitance value greater than 2 Pico farads (pF).
The high pad capacitance value limits the performance of the I/O circuit. For example, the high pad capacitance may limit the transmitting or receiving speeds of the DDR signals to a value less than 2 Gigabits per second (Gbps).
Further, conventional I/O circuit designs also suffer from local temperature effect (LTE) degradation. The LTE degradation occurs when excessive heat is dissipated within the transistors comprising the I/O circuit. The LTE degradation may causes the transistors within the I/O buffer circuits to be less reliable over time.